


Day 4: Alt #1 - Wake Up

by Aelaer



Series: Whumptober 2019 [4]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Snippets, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-08 00:02:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20984621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aelaer/pseuds/Aelaer
Summary: He was surrounded by a pitch black darkness highlighted by sickly neon greens, pinks, and oranges. He knew this atmosphere very well, but what Stephen did not know was why he was once again in the Dark Dimension. There was a blankness in his recent history that left him uncertain and afraid.





	Day 4: Alt #1 - Wake Up

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't think of a good 'Human Shield' story and the whumptober mod said it's okay to publish a snippet that will be a part of a much longer story as a fill! So here's an alternate fill: a snippet from the sequel to [_Within the Shadows_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18979453/chapters/45065854), which I expect to be out hopefully by mid-November.

He was surrounded by a pitch black darkness highlighted by sickly neon greens, pinks, and oranges. He knew this atmosphere very well, but what Stephen did not know was _why_ he was once again in the Dark Dimension. There was a blankness in his recent history that left him uncertain and afraid.

Stephen looked down at himself: he was dressed in his usual wear, and once again he had the Eye of Agamotto, leaving him with at least a chance of survival. And it looked like he had already applied a time loop, though he could not remember when that had happened.

Surely there was no need to confront Dormammu right then and there, with all his recent memories gone and he could just fly out—it looked like he had the Cloak of Levitation with him again—though something seemed off about that. Why was that off? He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of anything at all.

He needed to get his bearings, he needed to figure things out before going any further, and so he indicated to the cloak that they needed to go, but it was not listening—and it was not listening because he could see now that it was scarred with permanent magical burns that had seared it, left it unresponsive, outright killed it, and he had been trying to find a cure for the cloak for months, so why was he wearing it—

And before he could think any further, two great eyes lit with lava fields of violent purple that burned with white and blue fire came in from above him, first filling his vision and then every cell down to his very soul with a searing pain of magma and fire that utterly consumed him without any foreseeable end to his suffering—

A voice in his head cried, "_C'mon, Strange_," but it did not sound completely like his voice, and it was certainly not Dormammu's voice. It faded into nothingness as another wave of fire overwhelmed his entire being, but then it came to the forefront of his mind again, saying, "_Strange… Stephen. Stephen, you're okay. You need to wake up._"

Wake up.

He needed to _wake up_.

His eyes shot open and he gasped for air with his waking breath. He couldn't get the cool air into his burning insides fast enough. Through his heavy breathing, he heard quiet reassurances. "... just breathe, Stephen. You're safe. It was just a dream. Just breathe."

He turned his eyes to the side and saw Tony Stark had pulled the chair as close to his bedside as was possible. Behind him was a nurse looking at a tablet with a concerned frown.

A wave of embarrassment washed over him at being caught in such a predicament. "I'm fine," he gasped, not quite able to look at Stark and directing his words to the nurse instead. "Just a— just a dream. I'm fine."

**Author's Note:**

> The whole story coming... shortly(tm).


End file.
